ECU hosts traveling Blackbeard exhibit commemorating 300th anniversary of pirate’s death
To commemorate the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard’s notorious adventures along the North Carolina coast, East Carolina University’s Joyner Library is showcasing a traveling exhibit with artifacts from Blackbeard’s flagship Oct. 8 through Nov. 29.
The Queen Anne’s Revenge traveling exhibition is on loan from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources with items from the Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Blackbeard died in 1718 during a battle at Ocracoke.
The BlackBeard 300 exhibit is located in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery on the second floor of Joyner Library. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
On display in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, the exhibit includes artifacts that represent weaponry, nautical tools and personal items ranging from cannonballs, lead shot, gun flint, grinding stones, dinner plates, thumb screws and cask hoops. Replicas of other maritime items including a model of the Queen Anne’s Revenge will also be on display.
Also on display in the North Carolina Collections at Joyner Library is “Blackbeard Fact & Fiction,” an exhibit exploring the fascinating world of Blackbeard through historical texts and fiction taken from the library’s own rare book collection.
On Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., Joyner Library will host a pirate-themed family fun day with free activities including a performance by ECU’s Storybook Theatre and face painting.
The Blackbeard 300 exhibit and the Blackbeard Family Fun Day are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Charlotte Fitz Daniels at fitzdanielsc16@ecu.edu or 252-328-0287.
Blackbeard 300 Event Calendar
-Contact: Charlotte Fitz Daniels, events and programs coordinator, Joyner Library, fitzdanielsc16@ecu.edu or 252-328-0287